Master Craftsman

My wife agreed to have a table her grandmother owned refinished the price keep going up with extras (over 3 times the original price) and when finally finished it looked good but all original hardware missing and put together so badly all the legs shake if anything is placed on it ,we use it as a decoration against two walls but can not be used as a table

My husband and I had a great experience....TMC delivered our coffee table and it was like new.
This was a coffee table that has been in the family for years...lets just say it was a little tired looking.
Not only were they professional in terms of customer service, the turn around was more then we could
ask for. Refreshing to deal with a company that is professional and does exactly what they say they
are going to do. Would definitely use them again. Thanks TMC
J. Knight

We were taken in by the slick salesperson, by the way we could not contact him at all and after we left numerous calls for him. Our furniture came back terrible the first time and we refused to pay certified cheque then. The furniture went back to them to have it repaired as originally discussed, I went in person the 2nd time to warehouse and they said it was ready but it was not. the springs were visible thru the material at back of sofa, the legs did not match, were unbalance. The ottoman was not level at all. The third time they delivered to us the ottoman castor fell off from delivery man, it went back. Our furniture overall is worse than when we initially sent it to them. very uncomfortable for the sofa which sinks in the middle now. The salesman always seems to use same pitch as I have read the reviews, saying the furniture we have is very valuable (Barrymore) and worth it to reupholster. He produces a part of frame with spring to show ours is the same. Do not be deceive by this, customer beware, Do not ever book an appointment with this company especially thru kioks or cottage shows. They kept our furniture over the time limit the 10 day cooling off period expires. and then they worked on it over 3 months later. Never trust this company always do research first when dealing with home salespersons etc.

I am embarrassed to say that these guys took advantage of me too. Their quote was about double what I expected but they ensured me that there quality was worth the price and my girlfriend at the time talked me into it. After they picked up the furniture I got several calls from them saying they had to do things that would have to cost extra. The end cost was double the quote and after a couple of years it all started to fall apart. One of the chairs is now completely garbage now so I pulled the springs out of the cushion and they were the cheapest garbage I've ev er seen. This was one of the extras since the old springs were no good even though they were 50 years old and still comfortable and now the chair is garbage mainly because of the springs I paid extra for. I've seen them in the mall since some time I would like to spend the day there while they're there with the springs from the chair to warn people.

See how TMC took advantage of a wheelchair-bound senior:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNM5EZb14lI

TMC Restoration is the new name for The Master Craftsman. They had to change their name because of all the terrible reviews on the Internet. But, trust me, their sleazy business practices are exactly the same. So, whether they introduce themselves as TMC Restoration or as The Master Craftsman, don't let these scam artists set foot in your home! My experience was terrible, and I am not alone. Read the reviews here: http://homestars.com/companies/227022-the-master-craftsman . More reviews here: http://homestars.com/companies/2777134-tmc-restorations?service_area=1829552

i just made an appointment to have a free estimate with these people. after hanging up the phone, i started to wonder about the strange questions they had asked when setting up the appointment. i did barely 2 minutes of internet research before being horrified by customer stories.

i called back immediately to cancel my appointment, and was hung up on 'by accident', and had to call 3 times before someone would confirm to me that my estimate was cancelled. i tried to be nice about the cancellation, but the pushy sales girl really wanted to know why i had changed my mind so soon after booking. i was happy to let her have it and told her about the bad BBB rating they have, and the plethora of terrible reviews and comments about their disgusting company i was able to find online in mere minutes of research. she was not thrilled to say the least. what a lucky break that was! thank you very much for posting these warnings.

for further reading on these scum predators, see:

http://www.ripoffreport.com/Furniture-Furnishings/The-Master-Craftsman/the-master-craftsman-a-corpora-5jde9.htm

Thankyou all for your stories, I had a appointment last thursday and they fail to show up, and they just called to book another appointment, I am going to call and cancell. thankyou

*

My wife and I had TMC come into our home to have 3 occasional chairs repaired and refinished. since there were a few questions on the grain of the wood. The sales guy took half of the money for the work and said if they are no able to preserve the grain as it was painted on, then he would bring back the chair and no cash the cheque. Well he called and said that it would be no problem to do the work we wanted done. 3 months go by they call and say since the chairs are about 100 yrs old they need to have the springs redone. I said no problem. another month goes by and they call to come pick the chairs up. The first cheque they recieved was a personal one but for the final payment it had to be cerified or money order. I went to pick them up the chairs looked like they had left my house, got a quick wash, the re-glue job was absolutly revolting. I told them I was not paying the rest and I am still fighting to get my chairs back.
BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P&C

The Master Craftsman: don't even CONSIDER this firm! Run!!

You make a deal, set a price, the furniture is hauled into their truck within an hour after the salesman's departure, (because "we're gonna work on it right away as we have to keep our workers busy"), weeks and weeks of silence go by, and then (no doubt based on the salesman's assessment of you
at the initial meeting, to see if there's anything more to squeeze out of you at a later date), you likely will get a call from a very concerned individual, of course having only YOUR interest in mind, announcing that unfortunately they have found an unexpected flaw somewhere in the bowels of
your furniture, which you better get fixed (for an additional, ridiculous amount), or else they can't guarantee....blah, blah, blah. Meanwhile Ontario's 10-day cooling-off period, during which they could have easily
discovered the alleged condition if they actually had started the work, has conveniently expired.
In short, a solid cock-and-bull story, probably mainly aimed at seniors who are thought of not only as senile, but also full of cash. Meanwhile, their victims, as a consequence of having already paid down a ton of money (33-50%!!), and with the stripped-to-the-bone furniture sitting in their shop, are being held firmly by the jewels.

Buyer be VERY aware!
These Master Craftman artists have stands in shopping malls all over the place; the last time I saw them was a few weeks ago in the Parkway Mall in Scarborough.

If you still decide to deal with them, pay careful attention to the sticker on the front of the contract, and article #19 on the back (legal mumbo-jumbo in tiny soft-grey letters on a coloured background, requiring 90-90 vision).
Unfortunately due to other things on my mind, I wasn't on the ball, and that makes me an idiot who for once let his guard down whilst the tubby snake oil salesman performed his smoke-and-mirror pitch with his truckload of albums.
That article #19 alone should start ringing alarm bells.

If you're already in bed with them (or any other upholstery firm for that matter) or intent to do so, let me give you some advice:

1. Don't allow ANY salesman to pound on you for more than 10 minutes. If he can't give you an estimate within that time, lead him to the door.

2.- Establish right from the beginning that you will NOT fork over more than 10 (TEN) percent of the contracted price! Don't fall for his whining about the company having to buy material, and similar song and dance. If he doesn't like it, he can leave.

2. Let the salesman write into the contract that the company will let you know within 5 (five) calendar days if there are any additional costs, over and above the contract price, for further repairs, etc. If so, and you can live with it, go ahead. If not, the deal is off and your furniture must be
returned to you free of cost, in as close as possible a condition as it was when it left your premises. The reason for this all is that the salesman should be knowledgable and experienced enough to tell you right off the bat in what approximate condition the furniture is in and base his estimate there on.

3. BEFORE they start putting the new material on, they MUST contact you (NO EXCUSES as in "you weren't home and we couldn't wait"). Then you go down there, and compare the material with the sample in the bookfrom which you have chosen. You compare the book sample with the picture you
(hopefully) have taken of same at the time the salesman was contaminating your house with his bulls..t!! If you have no camera, write down brand name and nummer. Before you leave, demand a sample of the material they're going to use. To
put the icing on the cake, walk with a digital camera and photograph your stuff inside & outside.

4. BEFORE they load the furniture in their truck for delivery, they MUST call you!!! Again, go down there, sample in hand, and compare same with the material they've put on. Inspect the furniture with a magnifying glass. Sit on it, lie down on it. Do NOT hand over any money before they arrive at your house. Once there, inspect the items again BEFORE offloading them.

5. If you make a deal, do not allow the salesman to cut out a piece of your upholstery unless it's small and from a location that's out of view. Do not allow him to write your name on the material with a black marker "for identification purposes". If for some reason you want out of the deal within
the 10-day cooling-off period, you're screwed because your furniture is now ruined! Write your name down ON THE WOODEN FRAME that's out of sight, but can be easily found by you when the work is finished.

6. Don't get intimidated. If you feel they're jerking you around within the warranty period or issues arise within the repair period, don't panic, get a legal advisor (a lawyer or paralegal) if necessary, or simply file a claim in Small Claims Court, costing next to nothing.

7. And remember, YOU are not the one, desperate to make a deal with companies, THEY are!

Check the Better Business Bureau and the Ontario Government websites about these clowns:

http://search.bbb.org/

http://www.gov.on.ca/mgs/en/ConsProt/ConsProt/STEL01_132036.html

Salesman comes to your home jokes and says the right things to make you comfortable. Then comes the long sales pitches and then the bomb.The price is easy double than what you expected.After sighing and weeks later they call to tell you your furniture is apart and you need some extra items. Now price is easy tripled.Your fed up and tell them to forget it but unbeknownced to you there is a cancelation fee for about 25% of your bill.These people are rip off experts , beware and better yet stay away , you`ll sleep easier

Make sure you set a price at the BEGINNING of the big sales pitch - the sales rep would NOT discuss price before going through the entire sales pitch, quoted a price at twice what I wanted which went up to almost 3 times before I got out of the thing... brutal customer service and high prices. DO NOT FALL FOR ANY 'EXTRAS'. Those things which they count as extras should be part of the normal reupholstery/refinishing process - otherwise, their sales reps should have sufficient product knowledge to better advise on final pricing.